Metal Spray is a process used all over the world, where molten metal or softened particles are applied to a prepared surface (substrate) to enhance its properties (hardness, anti-corrosion, wear, dielectric, restoring dimensions etc.). No solvents or chemicals are used, just pure metal.
The process is predominantly used for anti-corrosion and rebuilding engineering dimensions and has been used in every conceivable industry including Aerospace, Automotive, Marine, Biomedical, Agriculture, Space Travel, Power Generation, Infrastructure, Mining and many more applications.
A common misconception regarding anti-corrosive coatings is that they can only be completed with Zinc, when in fact Metal Spray can offer 4 variations of anti-corrosion coatings, all of which have their own identities: Zinc 99.99%, Zinc Aluminium 85/15 alloy, Aluminium 99.5%, and Aluminium Magnesium 5%.
Engineering coating applications include, but are not limited to: hard chrome replacement, reclamation, hard-facing, anti-spark, non-stick, and non-slip coatings.
Metal Spray is the ideal surface to receive any top-coating from painting to powder-coating.
Our Metal Spray equipment consists of Arc Spray, Flame Spray, Plasma Spray, High Velocity Air-Fuel (HVAF), High Velocity Oxygen-Fuel (HVOF), Laser Cladding, Spray Weld Equipment and also Ancillary Equipment. More information on each process is available by clicking on the relevant tabs.
Zinc Metal Sprayed Artwork with Paint Top Coat - Image provided courtesy of Ironic Art, Gatton QLD.
Cathodic Protection of Concrete Bridges
Did you know? Dr Max Ulrich Schoop (pictured above) pioneered metal spraying in the early 1900’s when he, whilst firing pellets out of a toy cannon he had bought for his young son, discovered that molten lead and zinc would stick to almost any surface.
No, the Metal Spray process has been in existence since the early 1900’s and is used in numerous applications all around the world. Check out our Industry Applications for more information.
Dr Max Ulrich Schoop (pictured above) pioneered metal spraying in the early 1900’s when he, whilst firing pellets out of a toy cannon he had bought for his young son, discovered that molten lead and zinc would stick to almost any surface.
The process of Metal Spraying/Thermal Spray/Spray Galvanising refers to the same process which has been in existence since the early 1900’s and is a process used worldwide.
The Metal Spray process involves the melting of a wire and projecting it onto the work piece in order to provide a coating that can be tailored to suit the environment into which the component will be located.
No solvents or chemicals are used, just pure metal. The process only uses a heat source through which a powder or wire is fed, melted and projected onto the substrate.
No, it is not necessary to paint or powder coat the coating afterwards. However, in doing so, when correctly applied, it can enhance the life of the coating further. As the colours of Metal Sprayed coatings are limited, a paint or powder coat layer on top of the Metal Sprayed layer is often used for decorative purposes.
Zinc Metal Sprayed Artwork with Paint Top Coat - Image provided courtesy of Ironic Art, Gatton QLD.
Yes, over the years the Metal Spray Industry has developed International Standards (ISO) as well as regional standards based on the International ones. The standards cover such things as:
If you are applying an anti-corrosive coating of Zinc, Aluminium or one of their alloys to a substrate, the surface would need to be clean and dry and then grit-blasted. If an engineering coating is being applied, the component should be de-greased and pre-machined normally by turning a rough thread.
If the component has been in service and/or running in oil, pre-heating the component to between 260°C and 370°C and maintaining this temperature until oil ceases to come to the surface (or until all smoking stops) will satisfactorily clean the component.
No, the media to be used for surface preparation should be:
Generally speaking there is no limit. However, from a practical point of view, excessive coating thickness is unnecessary. In some cases the coating thickness may be determined from standards that will give life expectancy until first maintenance, in other cases it can be the requirement necessary to restore a part to its original condition. Metal Spraying allows the coating thickness to be varied to provide extra protection in critical areas.
The International Standard BS EN ISO 2063 as well as AS/NZ 2312 gives recommendations of coating thickness and time until first maintenance.
In North America, the Metal Spray process is known as “Metallizing” or “Thermal Spray”, with early work being carried out by the American Welding Society (AWS) who in 1953 exposed panels coated with flame sprayed zinc and aluminium and various sealers. Very favourable results were reported after 19, 34 and 44 years of exposure at coastal and industrial sites. This work was followed up by the US Army Corps of Engineers with successful trials of Metal Spray as a more abrasion resistant coating than vinyl on dam gates, and which resulted in a comprehensive design manual (USACE, 1999) which is available on the internet.
The US Federal Highway Agency noted (FHWA 1997) that work by the AWS and US Navy showed that “properly applied metallized coatings (zinc, 85% Zinc/15% Aluminium, and Aluminium) of at least 6 mils thickness provide at least 20 years of maintenance free corrosion protection in wet, salt-rich environments and are expected to provide 30 years of protection in most bridge exposure environments”. The FHWA has sponsored several research projects coating steel bridge beams with TSM, including one of environmentally acceptable materials which found that the thermal sprayed zinc (TSZ) systems were the best performing over 40 coating systems tested (which included top coated and single coat “high-ratio” and other inorganic zinc silicates) with no undercutting at scribe marks after 6.5 years exposure, and had the lowest life cycle cost.
Thermal Sprayed Aluminium (TSA) has been widely used in offshore oil and gas industry and by 1997 over 400,000 sq. metres of TSA had been applied to oil platforms in the North Sea to provide corrosion protection to flare stacks, riser pipes in the splash zone and submerged tethered legs (e.g. Conoco’s Hutton platform built in 1984). Experience indicated that TSA coatings, when properly applied and with the use of specific sealer systems, will provide a service life in excess of 30 years with zero maintenance required.
In short, the years of testing and results which have accumulated into the various standards demonstrate the coatings ability to withstand the harshest of environments and to with stand the test of time.